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Cornwall man reported dead in Thursday 401 wreck

Several vehicles, including one transport trailer, were involved in a major accident on the westbound lanes of Highway 401 near Glen Miller Road in Trenton. Sources said there were multiple casualties from the accident. EMILY MOUNTNEY/TRENTONIAN/QMI AGENCY

A trucking company manager said his firm's driver is badly shaken, but may have been battling a setting sun, after Thursday's fatal collision on Highway 401 at Trenton.

David Peplow, general manager of Toronto based LJW Transport Co. in Brampton said the driver of the rig that hit the rear of a stopped car on Highway 401 is "badly shaken up," but otherwise fine.

The driver, who has not been named by police or the company, has been with the trucking firm for nine years.

"He said he's all right. Apparently someone was stopped in front of him ... At that time of the day the sun is pretty low in the sky. It's a pretty nasty stretch of highway," said Peplow.

He said the tractor is a write off and the company had to dispatch a tow truck to the scene.

Meanwhile, officials who were first on the scene used words like "chaos" and "carnage" to describe Thursday's horrific crash in the westbound lanes of Highway 401 that killed a Cornwall area man.

An unidentified Quinte West firefighter who was one of the first on the scene radioed in for fire officials to "send everything you've got."

First responders found vehicle parts and produce - dates being carried by the transport truck - strewn across the pavement. They also found two people and their dog trapped inside a burning car. The car was pinned underneath the LJW Transport rig that was carrying a load of dates.

"It was devastating and horrific," said Quinte West Fire Chief John Whelan. "Someone said they heard people screaming for help."

He was one of the first on the scene, barely minutes after one of his firefighters issued the urgent call for help over the radio. An off-duty OPP officer was reportedly also one of the first people on the scene.

The six-vehicle accident occurred around 3:20 p.m. near the Glen Miller Road intersection in Trenton on a downhill stretch just east of an on-going construction site.

The deceased has been identified as 59 year old Andre Lamoureux, of Cornwall,

According to the OPP, two people suffered "moderate" injuries and have been released from hospital. One passenger was air lifted to Kingston General Hospital with "very serious" injuries and is reported to be a 49 year old Brighton woman who is in stable condition. Police have not released any names.

OPP spokesperson Const. Chris Quenneville said Friday morning police are still investigating what caused the accident.

The highway was reopened around 2 a.m. Friday.

Whelan said OPP officers, paramedics and firefighters did a "phenomenal job" at the scene.

Included in their ranks were three or four military personnel, motorists and a local nurse.

"They were all incredible," said Whelan. "Two people rescued the dog from the burning car. They immediately took the dog, that was pretty badly injured, to a local veterinarian."

Quenneville said the dog is reported to be recovering and in good condition.

Two motorists who rushed to the scene luckily had fire extinguishers, said Whelan, and were able to put the fire out. "They were able to pull the people out through a window," he said.

Military personnel and the nurse at the scene helped to administer CPR to the man who died in the wreck.

"The scene was so chaotic, I wasn't able to get their names," added Whelan. "There was great co-ordination among everyone at the scene."

Traffic came to a complete halt in both directions due to scattered debris.

OPP officers reported several minor, separate collisions on the westbound highway lanes due to drivers not paying attention in heavy traffic and due to traffic slowing down.

One of the vehicles involved in the crash was identified as a Corrections Canada van that was carrying one inmate, who sustained minor injuries.

Police remained at the scene through the night while technical traffic collision investigators and reconstruction officers worked on the investigation.

Traffic was re-routed off the highway at the Glen Miller Road exit to Johnstown Road, to Highway 33 and then back toward Highway 401.